


A Cardboard Monstrosity

by missmariie



Series: Retail Detail [1]
Category: Castle
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Retail, First Meetings, Humor, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-10 23:07:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4411409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmariie/pseuds/missmariie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The cast of Castle if everyone was a few years younger and worked in a mall. </p>
<p>In which Castle is bad at packing trolleys and Ryan gets stuck in a lift.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the silliest thing I've written in 12 years, so I hope it makes somebody laugh!

Kevin heard a crash from the general direction of the change rooms and sighed. He dutifully finishing folding a blue knit out onto the display table before he wandered out to check on Rick. Because honestly, it wasn’t going to be a customer making that much noise. 

Rick was carefully sliding a final squashed stock box into the saddest trolley Kevin had ever seen. There was a mountain of cardboard and plastic that extended well over the top of the metal and to above Kevin’s height. Several of the long tubes their decals came in were protruding from every dimension of the mess. 

“ _This_ is my contribution to the world of old school arcade games.” Rick told him, dramatically flinging open his arms.

Kevin wrinkled his nose. 

“Masterfully tetris-ed or not, I’m really not going to be able to see over all that junk.”

Rick eyed his creation critically. 

“It’s artistic.” 

“Yeah, pretty sure it’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

“You know what I think?” Rick asked grandly, turning his bright, cheeky gaze towards Kevin, “I think it’s our civic duty to test the reflexes of every pedestrian in the mall. And look, this way you won’t have to do two trips!” 

And that was how Kevin ended up wheeling a cardboard monstrosity through the mall. 

 

* * *

 

Kevin made it to the staff elevator having nearly collected: two running children, one grandmother four grown adults hypnotised by their phones and one small boy who was so mesmerised by the clutter that he walked straight into Kevin’s path to gawk at it. None too shabby, considering he had to go half way across the mall to avoid the recycling depo where something slimy had once touched his shin. 

He shot off a short text to Rick while he waited. 

\- Was that huge tube poking out the front really necessary? 

\- It’s for MAXIMUM CARNAGE! Did you manage to impale anyone?

Kevin shook his head and slipped his phone back into his pocket as the lift dinged. 

As soon as Kevin tried to push his way into the lift, he realised he had a problem. One of the cardboard tubes jutted so high above the rest of the mess that it didn’t fit through the lift door. Rick had also jammed it so tightly into the trolley that it wouldn’t budge. Tossing one of the boxes that sat on the top of the junk against the door to stop the elevator from closing, Kevin began to try to pry the tube out of its wedge. 

The tube would not listen to reason. It withstood the worst of Kevin’s colourful vocabulary, spared not a wiggle against his delicate prodding and barely jostled in the face of his manhandling. His hands were covered in goddamn _cardboard cuts_ , and the lift door had tried to close on his shoulders noisily and violently twice. He had scattered the top layer of boxes about in the lift, throwing them off as he managed to dislodge them, but the tube still wasn’t budging. 

Kevin was composing the phonecall he was about to make to Rick in his head when the automatic doors behind him swung open and some guy with the most sensibly packed trolley he’d ever seen walked in. The guy was also really hot. Kevin was officially defecting to wherever _he_ worked tomorrow. 

“Uh. You need a hand, bro?” the guy asked, his eyebrows shifting sceptically across his face. 

He looked, well, he looked like the kind of guy who probably wouldn’t lose a fight to a bear, let alone an over-stuffed trolley. Sports shirt that stretched tight across his chest, basketball shorts and sneakers. Yep, he was _really_ attractive. 

Kevin blushed furiously and slammed his foot into the back of the trolley in one final belated effort save his dignity. The tube twisted, and the trolley obediently popped through, one final box tumbling onto the floor. 

He counted to five in his head and resisted the urge to strangle something, probably himself, before spinning towards his new onlooker. 

“I think I’m good.” Kevin told him, face flaming, “Hang on, just let me…” 

He kicked aside a few boxes so they could both fit in the lift, and buried himself in his phone. The less awkward eye contact this journey involved, the better. He shot off a token of his regard to Rick.

\- I’m writing your eulogy. It says you suck!

 

* * *

 

The elevator made a strange grating noise as it came to a halt. 

“What was that?” Kevin asked. 

The other guy looked up from his phone towards the doors. They didn’t open. 

Kevin groaned and slumped against the ‘open doors’ button.

Nothing happened. 

“Uh…” said the other dude, finally looking interested. 

“Great. We’re stuck!”

Kevin stabbed viciously at his phone’s touchscreen.

\- There will be no funeral!

 

* * *

 

The elevator man had assured them that they were perfectly safe, and would be out in no time, but Kevin remained unconvinced. It seemed to be a ‘crushed to death in a lift’ kind of day. 

The sneaker guy settled himself calmly onto the floor and looked up and Kevin. 

“I’m Javier.” he said, pocketing his phone. 

“Kevin.” Kevin replied, kicking aside a box so he could join Javier on the floor. 

Kevin untied and redid his shoelace. 

Javier drummed his fingers on one of the boxes. 

“Maybe take two trips next time, bro.” he said, poking his thumb at the carnage around them. 

“You really think _I_ packed that… that… thing!?” Kevin spluttered, and Javier chuckled lightly. 

He looked Kevin’s neat outfit up and down.

“Nah, guess not. I’m lucky then. Becks is a Spartan.” he pointed at his own trolley. 

Kevin’s phone beeped. 

It was Rick. Kevin was about ready to strangle him. 

\- Wow. Did you actually hit someone?  
\- Pics or it didn’t happen!

Kevin send him a photo of his middle finger.


	2. Chapter 2

“You’re from Cotton On?” Javier asked Kevin, leaning his head back against the metal wall.

“Yeah. How’d you know?” Kevin asked, fiddling with his store lanyard and rearranging himself until he was cross-legged. 

Javier chuckled again, and shook his head. 

“I’ve seen you around, I think. We’re basically next door bro.” he handed his own name badge over to Kevin. 

“Oh, Nike. Makes sense. You look kind of athletic.” 

Kevin realised it sounded a bit like a come on as it left his mouth, and he nearly fumbled over the last word. Javier grinned at him. 

“Nah, I don’t play much at the moment. Been coaching the kids a lot this year.”

“What sport?”

“Basketball mostly. Soccer’s good too though. What about you bro?”

Kevin tugged on his hair and laughed self-consciously. 

“I swim a bit, so I guess I know nothing about sneakers.” 

Kevin plucked a piece of lint off his jeans and they both smiled across at each other. Javier’s eyes were a syrupy brown, and the light seemed to disperse into them rather than glance off the surface. His breath caught in his throat, and he jumped to his feet and started fidgeting with the trolley. 

“I should really try to jam all this back in somehow. If anyone comes in to rescue us, I’ll end up fired for littering or something.”

Javier snorted and wiped his hands on his shorts, before getting up and offering his help.

“Bro, that doesn’t look like a one man job.”

 

* * *

 

Despite their best efforts, by the time the lift ground back into movement, they hadn’t managed to recreate Rick’s ‘artistry’. 

Kevin had however, managed to make Javier laugh so often that his stomach had almost stopped turning over every time he heard that little huff. 

Mostly. 

They made a good team, and puzzling it out together was surprisingly fun. 

“You sure these all fit?” Javier asked skeptically, popping his hands on his hips as he surveyed the remaining boxes. 

Kevin shrugged. 

“Rick managed it. I’m really beginning to question his methods though. Maybe we should just do two trips?”

Kevin realised a moment later that strictly, only _he_ needed to do two trips, but Javier was nodding along sagely like he saw nothing amiss. 

“Yeah, alright.” 

They piled the boxes in a neat stack near the elevator, next to a ‘be on the lookout for suspicious activity’ sign. Kevin chewed his lip as he read it. 

“Do you think we should leave a note that the boxes aren’t part of some terrorist plot?” he asked Javier. 

Javier snorted.

“ _Dude_. Not unless you wanna get shot.” 

He did stop to move one of the boxes in front of the sign though. 

 

* * *

 

Kevin and Javier made it back to their stores about half an hour later, rubbish finally sorted. They stood awkwardly out the front of Cotton On as their conversation trailed off. 

“So… I’ll see you around?” Kevin asked, raising his hand in a short wave as he turned towards his store. 

Javier was wiping his hands on his shorts again.

“Hang on!” he called, and Kevin caught the end of a wince as he turned to face him. “Right. So uh, when are you working next?” 

“The day after tomorrow.” Kevin told him, biting his lip. 

Javier ran his hand over his hair. 

“I’ll drop in, say hi.” 

“Yeah... Yeah, that sounds great. See you then, then.” 

“Yeah. See ya!”

Javier ducked his head and strode off quicker than was probably his usual gait, and Kevin watched him go. 

 

Kevin strolled back into the shop with a spring in his step, humming quietly to himself. Rick ducked behind the counter as soon as they made eye contact. 

“I’m sorry for anything I did that caused whatever happened!” he yelped.

Kevin plucked a lavender scented drawer bag off the counter and pegged it at him on the way past. 

“Ow.” Rick complained. He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Wait – are you humming? What’s with that stupid grin? What happened? Did you find a winning lottery ticket in the elevator? You met the CEO of Westfield there and he offered you his job, didn’t he? Ooh! Since today is totally my fault, I get a share right? I mean, if I’m culpable for bad stuff then…” 

Kevin settled himself behind the counter and tapped out Girl with the Flaxen Hair with his good hand, letting Rick ponce on in the background. Today had felt like the start of something. 

Maybe his year wouldn’t be such a write-off after all.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! The first fic is finished. 
> 
> There are a few others in this verse coming up, and yes, they will get it together and end up together eventually.

**Author's Note:**

> There will be more! I've actually already written the draft for the rest of this story, and a short piece for right after.


End file.
